President’s Desk

Behind the scenes. The concept conjures images of people in the shadows, amid pulleys, electrical cords and the blank sides of two-dimensional set pieces. Or the expression can signify an “edgy” approach that gives audiences an “insider’s” look into the making of a movie, a play or really any kind of creation or process. This

I remember the moment vividly. Last June, sitting in the Princeton Club in Manhattan, listening as New York Times reporter and emcee Sam Roberts reflected on the exceptional quality of writers in the room, I was filled with pride to be representing SUNY Oswego, as one of our own—Alice McDermott ’75—was inducted into the New

During the fall 2013 semester, we dedicated the Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation and the Rice Creek Field Station, launching unlimited opportunities for faculty and student exploration, learning and research. In doing so, we expressed gratitude for the foresight and generosity made tangible through the various resources that funded these forward-looking projects, which

Our college and the accomplished and diverse members of our SUNY Oswego family build on the past in intriguing ways, even as we move boldly into the future. A case in point is George Wurtz ’78, who has used his degree in what we used to call industrial arts to develop a career in paper manufacturing that places

FROM THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS to the bright lights of Broadway, from the pages of major magazines to the studios of ESPN and NBC, and from the art galleries of New York to the concert halls of major cities, graduates of Oswego’s School of Communication, Media and the Arts (SCMA) are making a name for themselves…and their

Fifty years ago, our college had newly graduated from teachers college to comprehensive college of arts and sciences; we had just opened our new science building, Piez Hall; and President Foster Brown had recruited a young chemistry professor from Purdue University — Dr. Richard Shineman — to help expand Oswego’s science programs. Now, at another exciting time of growth and innovation for the sciences on our campus, the Shineman name is once again at the forefront.

As I write this, 10 faculty members from our School of Business have just departed for Turkey, where they plan to make new professional connections that will down the road benefit our students. This is just one example of the kinds of projects going on in this dynamic school, which we feature in this issue of the magazine with stories reviewing its 20-year development and profiling one of our most accomplished business alumni, Bob Moritz ’85.

SUNY Oswego recently received our most positive Middle States reaccreditation review in memory (see p. 3), and our School of Business radiates the sense of vibrancy and success you would expect from a vital part of our strong institution. Commitment to students, internships, field experience and service — these are areas that shone in our institution’s reaccreditation review, and they are all particular strengths in our School of Business.

The external team of evaluators appointed by our accreditor commended Oswego for our culture of assessment, and our business school in many respects led the way on campus in marshaling metrics to guide academic planning and development. They commended us for our international programs, and our business school is in the forefront of establishing dual degree programs with Chinese universities, bringing international scholars to campus, leading entrepreneur research abroad and exploring new opportunities for overseas partnerships. They commended our capital improvements, and, indeed, the renovation of Rich Hall as a home for our School of Business was one of the first big successes in our ongoing campus-wide renewal program.

We have recently launched the SUNY system’s first multidisciplinary cooperative education program, and accounting in the School of Business was our pioneer. The school’s MBA program joins hands with other disciplines on campus to offer five-year joint degrees, the newest to win approval involving Oswego’s renowned broadcasting program.

The School of Business partakes of the vigorous, can-do spirit that permeates SUNY Oswego and that characterizes so many of our alumni, as you can see in stories throughout this issue. Enjoy!

Throughout our 150-year history, a hallmark of an Oswego education has always been an emphasis on learning by doing. As I travel around the country, alumni from every era share stories of Oswego professors who involved them as equals in important research and creative projects. The pages of this magazine are brimming with examples, like Peggy La Tulip Focarino ’77, whose love of physics was nurtured in Oswego’s labs and now inspires her as she leads the U. S. Patent Office. RIT Chemistry Professor Todd Pagano ’96 has become a national advocate for involving undergraduates in scientific inquiry and has personally opened the doors to meaningful research for hundreds of deaf students. Debra Schutt ’77 takes skills she learned alongside Jon Vermilye ’66 and Ken Stone ’68 in Waterman Theatre to adorn the sets of HBO productions.

Given the innovative, forward-looking college that we are, it is rare that we pause to look back and take stock of our achievements. Right now, we have so many irons in the fire: We’re awaiting state approval of a bachelor's degree program in electrical and computer engineering and a combined five-year bachelor’s/MBA program in broadcasting, among other new programs. Our new science facilities are coming together between Snygg and Piez halls, and we’re looking forward to the important work our students and faculty will do there in science, technology and engineering. We’re drilling bore holes in a geothermal field to help heat and cool the new structure, putting us out front in applying green building technology.

We’re giving undergraduates unforgettable research experiences in our new Global Laboratory programs in Brazil and Taiwan and forging partnerships with other universities around the world.

But the occasion of our Sesquicentennial anniversary — many of you got a taste of the yearlong celebration at Reunion in June — reminds us that Oswego has long been an innovative, exciting school, achieving much of significance — not the least of which was providing you, our cherished alumni, the educational foundation on which to build your life.

We have been an important provider of public higher education in this region for 150 years and, early on, acquired an international reputation for educational innovation. I hope you will follow our anniversary celebration as it unfolds through next spring — in this issue of the magazine, in a documentary video series on the college’s history and at a Founder’s Day campus celebration in October. The roots of our vigorous educational enterprise are indeed deep, and they nourish our efforts to ensure that our college is even stronger in the future.